Unlike the automobile industry, which integrated headlights to vehicles very early in their history, the developmental progression for watercraft, like that of aircraft, has not required much innovation in this area due to their unique uses. Although headlights mounted on boats are not unknown there are many drawbacks to the integration and application of automobile technology to watercraft.
One of the major problems is the large power draw to the electrical system of a small watercraft when utilizing incandescent, halogen or xenon type lighting as commonly used in the automotive industry. A more practical solution would be the application of light emitting diodes (LEDs) but standard LEDs lack the volume or intensity necessary for adequate illumination for the needs when trying to safely dock a water craft. High intensity LEDs would be sufficient to the task but include thermal issues that raise thermal and electrical obstacles to their application on the hull of a small watercraft.
The electrical systems of most watercraft are rudimentary and vary depending on the use of the engine or the charge of the battery, and this results in uneven or unreliable illumination for lights connected thereto. Most lights do not include the necessary circuitry for managing the variability of such an unpredictable system and require that the operator try to control engine speed or turn off other electrical devices to generate the required amount of illumination.
Another problem is the hesitancy of boat owners to add any such device due to the intrusive nature of installing hull mounted lighting devices, the complicated method of sealing the device and the frequent maintenance of the lighting source and the sealing method. Current standard hull mounted incandescent lamps require a sizable hole in the hull and significant means of sealing both the exterior and interior surfaces. Very often the heat generated by such lamps is self defeating to the methods to seal the lamp from the aqueous environment. The life of these incandescent lamps requires frequent replacement in comparison to LED based lighting devices.
Due to the fact that the operator's position within a boat varies greatly between various watercraft it is necessary to mount the lighting device to direct the light in a specific direction relative to the operator's position and the height of the craft and or anticipated dock type. Most hull integrated lights give the owner no such option of aiming the beam and therefore flood the area with an unnecessary amount of light which may occlude or over-emphasize the elements of the dock of which the operator needs to be aware.
With the availability of the advantages of adjustability usually comes the accompanying complicated apparatus that may cause mutability of the light focus or an over-complication of the mounting system and method.
Therefore what is needed is a hull mounted docking light with reduced power consumption, while maintaining an amount of light adequate to properly illuminate the dock. The light should advantageously mount to the hull of various watercraft in a non-intrusive and simple manner. The lighting device should also be able to manage any thermal issues that the device it self may generate and administer to any electrical interference, inadequacy or irregularity that are common when dealing with the electrical system of small watercraft without operator intervention. The light directed from the device should preferably also be adjustable in relation to the mounting means at the time of mounting so that the type of watercraft, the position of the operator and the anticipated docking situations can be taken into consideration and proper mounting for directing the light can be achieved.